Skip links

Main navigation

How NCBI is governed

NCBI is made up of four independent yet inter-related companies: NCBI Group, NCBI Services, NCBI Retail and NCBI Charitable Foundation. Each company is limited by guarantee and is a registered charity. The registered offices for all the companies are at Whitworth Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.

Governance Code

NCBI conducts its business in accordance with the rules, regulations and accountabilities which govern companies and charities in Ireland. All Community, Voluntary and Charitable Organisations have a responsibility to provide and follow a code of good practice when it comes to how their organisations are run. NCBI therefore welcomed the introduction of the Code of Practice for Good Governance of Community, Voluntary and Charitable Organisations in Ireland in 2012 and we confirm that ourorganisation complies with that code.

You can view NCBI’s signed Governance Code Principles Statement. This was signed by Des Kenny, who was CEO of NCBI at the time, and Chairman Kevin O’Boyle, on 6th March 2014. This statement outlines the principles to which NCBI has agreed to adhere, under the headings of: leading our organisation, exercising control over our organisation, being transparent and accountable, working effectively and behaving with integrity.

NCBI also subscribes to the Statement of Guiding Principles for Fundraising. You can find out more about NCBI’s fundraising standards here.

NCBI Group

Charity Number: 20902

Registered in Ireland No: 26293

NCBI Group is the overall holding company of NCBI for the three subsidiary companies NCBI Services,NCBI Retail and NCBI Charitable Foundation. NCBI Group is responsible for the strategic direction of NCBI, and for corporate governance matters, which includes producing consolidated financial accounts, conducting oversight of strategic performance, policy formulation, regulating compliance and risk management.

NCBI Services

Charity Number: 4626

Registered in Ireland No: 527862

NCBI Services is responsible for the delivery of services to people who are blind or vision impaired and for the other services being provided to public, private and voluntary organisations, who want to make their service accessible to people who are blind or vision impaired. The establishment of NCBI Services allows staff employed by the company to give full attention to service delivery. It also gives statutory funders the knowledge and reassurance that their money is being utilised for direct service delivery.

NCBI Retail

Charity Number: 20619

Registered in Ireland No: 527863

The main object of NCBI Retail is to generate profits to support the charitable objectives of NCBI. NCBI Retail operates the charity shops which are sited in approximately 72 different locations across Ireland. The main purpose of the charity shops is to generate profits which can then be utilised to support and fund the services provided by NCBI Services. In the first instance surpluses generated by NCBI Retail are directed towards NCBI Charitable Foundation, With NCBI group allocating funds each year from the Foundation to NCBI Services.

NCBI Charitable Foundation

Charity Number: 12673

Registered in Ireland No: 527864

NCBI Charitable Foundation’s main area of activity is in generating funds for the services provided by NCBI Services. Whilst NCBI Retail involves itself in raising funds through charity shops, NCBI Charitable Foundation generates income from other sources. These include legacies, donations from individuals, grants from relevant charitable foundations, organisation of fundraising events, corporate donations and direct debit arrangements. NCBI Charitable Foundation, through its skilled and experienced Board and staff, is also continually exploring new options and opportunities for raising funds to support the vital services being provided by NCBI to people who are blind or vision impaired.

Find out more about NCBI

More information about the governance is available in the reports and strategy documents generated by the NCBI